Marianne Kearney, Jakarta – In an unprecedented alliance, the environment and forestry ministries and the navy have launched a get-tough policy against illegal loggers and timber smuggling.

Last week, Environment Minister Nabiel Makarim announced that charges would be filed against three internationally owned ships which were picked up by the navy early last month in the first of large-scale anti-logging operations in the country since the Megawati administration.

The owners of the three ships – Mandarin Sea registered in Singapore, the Rong Cheng registered in Hongkong and the Von Cheng registered in China – could be charged with illegally exporting logs and causing environmental damage, said Mr Dodo Sambodo, the head of the law enforcement body in the Environment Ministry.

Some of the seized timber worth US$4.7 million (S$8.6 million) is believed to have been logged from the Tanjung Putting National Park, Mr Dodo said. Since the detention of the three vessels, which are being held at Jakarta's Tanjung Priok port, another five ships had been detained in Kalimantan, he said.

The campaign focused on working with the security forces – particularly the navy – and was launched in October when the government realised illegal logging was 'a national crisis', said Mr Dodo.

Past attempts by the Forestry Ministry and Environment Ministry to crack down on illegal logging and timber smuggling were often said to have been foiled by corrupt government officials, police and army personnel.

One local environmental activist attributed the success of the campaign to the ministries' decision to work with the navy. "The Forestry Ministry finally realised there was no hope with the police, so they started to work with the navy," said Indonesian environmental group Telepak spokesman Ruwindrijarto.

Navy spokesman First Admiral Franky Kayhatu said foiling illegal timber smuggling was made easier with cooperation from the Forestry Ministry. He said the navy had apprehended 22 boats, which had been sent to court for suspected timber or endangered-fish smuggling, in the past year.

Admiral Franky said ships trying to export raw logs, a practice which has been illegal since October, often pretended to be carrying logs to Java for domestic sale. But, he said, they were easy to detect because as soon as they left the Central Kalimantan port of Pangkalanbun, they headed west towards Sarawak, Malaysia.

Local and international environment groups have welcomed the detention of the three ships, but urged the government to prosecute the timber bosses who either owned or supplied the ships with the timber.

The International Environment Agency said the Singapore-registered ship Mandarin Sea had been transporting logs for a company said to be conducting illegal logging operations.